"I could bring you back, you know. To the PC Continent," the girl—Ubiquité said, leaning against the corridor wall. Really, even by Capitoline standard, she had a peculiar name.

"It isn't like no one uses or studies the older schools of magic anymore, and a certain person could really use a living, no, undying reminder of her guilt. Haunting and rightfully shaming people for murder is not illegal, as long as you don't hurt anyone."

"I appreciate the offer. But I think I'll pass."

"What?" She gave Verdna an incredulous look. "You really want to stay in this building forever? I mean, I'd only talked to that head librarian guy—correction, he'd been talking to me, non-stop—for two minutes, and I was already praying for the conversation to end. And you have to deal with him all day long."

"Well, maybe it's good old inertia." Verdna said, glancing at her own translucent reflection on the glass barrier. "But while I was inside my amulet, pondering over that question you asked me, I realized that all the memories that stood out to me, that kept me going and made the emptiness go away, if only for a little while...were gained inside this archive."

"If I remember correctly, these weren't the memories you were willing to be left for dead for." Ubiquité stated, rather bluntly, before hastily adding, "Not that it was a good thing!"

"Ah. Not planning to let me off the hook for that momentary lapse into despair and fatalism, I see." Verdna said. "I still treasured these memories of my time back home, of course. They'd stay that way, eternal and unchanging. I just prefer to have a future where I can have new memories and new people to ruminate over."

Ubiquité twitched a little at that last part, but didn't say anything.

"Of course, ninety percent of my time here was still pure boredom, but if so, perhaps I need not seek excitement in other places. I've had enough of it in the past few weeks."

Perhaps it was on her to find more intellectual pursuit and willing listeners for herself, to deviate from the routines, to make the place more lively. Getting the exact proposals approved would be a pain, for sure, but Lady Blanc had been paying more visits to the archive recently, and maybe for publicity's sake, even the head librarian would...

"Okay." Ubiquité frowned a little. "Just so you know, if you regret your decision, please bring it up in the next two day. Before I leave. And never step into Lowee's borders again," she then mumbled in a very low voice, "Worst vacation experience ever."

Verdna chuckled at that. "I have the feeling you won't be repeating that statement in front of Lowee's Goddess."

Before she could make a reply, the elevator door slid open, and a suited figure emerged from inside.

"H-Hello!" Rei bent down, still panting, "Excuse me, is this the fourth floor, and h-have you seen a girl—"

Then she looked up and froze. Not at the sight of Verdna; in fact, there was relief in her eyes for the first five seconds, as if she'd found exactly what she was looking for. It changed into crippling panic the moment she made eye contact with Ubiquité.

"Hi." She broke the silence first, and waved at Rei. "So, uh, to answer your question, this isn't the fourth floor. It's the first basement level."

"Ah! I'm sorry for getting lost again, you see, I-I was actually trying to find her," Rei pointed to Verdna, before turning back to Ubiquité, "I didn't expect to see you here and that's not the point and I know it looks like I've been putting off my apology to you and your sister but I-I'm really sorry!"

Ubiquité blinked, no doubt still processing that giant run-on sentence. Finally, she shrugged.

"Okay? Apology accepted, I guess?"

"R-Really? I mean, thanks, but I could've really h-hurt you two when I messed up the warp, worse than I already did..."

"No, really, it's fine," she replied. "All's well that ends well. Plus, I'm sure a much more sadistic, twisted asshole is to blame for that turn of event, not you. Even though said asshole is not responsible for all the things that go wrong in our lives."

Now it was Rei's turn to be confused. "Ummmmm...well, thanks, again?"

She suddenly turned to Verdna, "O-Oh, and sorry to you too! I shouldn't have lied to you back then, and I-I wanted to apologize to you, together with Lynka, but we got separated about half an hour ago and I was still trying to find her! I didn't know how I ended up here, g-guess I wasn't watching which direction the elevator was going..."

"Well, then allow me to lend my assistance." Verdna made a bow, with slightly more dramatic flair. What else was a librarian supposed to do? "Also, apology accepted. But, if you don't mind me asking, young lady, perhaps you'd like to continue our unfinished study session from scratch?"

"Y-You still remembered that?! I mean, um, uh..."

"Indeed. I happened to have plenty of spare time right now, and, from what I had seen, you possess an impressive amount of dedication, even on topics you have no talent or interest in. But that last part can be changed..."

"If you are kidnapping me 'cause mom owes you money, give up!" Another yell came from behind C-Sha. "She wouldn't care. S-She'd just be happy to have one less mouth to feed!"

C-Sha sighed as she held the barred gate of the old apartment building open, allowing Asa to come in first, dragging Nepgeo...or Tommoka behind her. The girl had more or less given up struggling after they bailed her out of the police station, but she sure drew a lot of attention on the way here, and not the flattering kind.

"Relax. We aren't mobsters." C-Sha assured her, after letting go of the door. "You'd seen me before, so you should have known, right?"

"You mean YOU aren't, nerd! I'm pretty sure she is—" Nepgeo yelped as Asa twisted her arms behind her back, a little more forcefully than necessary, "Or had been one! Ouch!"

"Are we really doing this." Asa gave her a look.

"Yeah. Be gentler with her, alright?" C-Sha said, before turning back to Nepgeo. "No, really, we aren't bad guys. We just want you to meet someone who would really love to see you again."

"Said every single shady asshole ever!" Nepgeo retorted, as she was led up the stairs. "I just stole a donut! They'd given their warning, and were ready to let me go! And I'm not even from Lowee—"

"Yeah, we know that."

"So why are you dragging me off to this crappy place? This is, uh," Nepgeo stuttered, "infringing on my citizen's rights! You can't force me into community service again if I'm not even doing shit in my own community!"

C-Sha sighed, again, before turning towards the door on the left hand side. It was a good thing that Mr. Esaka lived on the second floor, because this building had no elevators, and she'd hate to climb up several more levels of stairs with a screaming Nepgeo in Asa's hold. Right now, the woman looked ready to throw her out of the nearest window.

"Hey, old chap? You in there?" She knocked on the door once, then, after hearing enthusiastic barking noises, knocked harder, just to make sure the first knock wasn't drowned out.

To her relief, the rusty iron door soon creaked open, revealing Lord Okada, who was practically bouncing on the floor in its attempt at leaping out of the narrow opening, and Mr. Esaka's face.

"C-gal?" He yawned. "Damn, you came early. My place's kind of a mess right now, so can ya' wait a sec? Just gotta'—"

Right when he was about to push the door shut again, Asa jammed it open with one hand, firmly but nicely (as nicely as she could manage). Then, she yanked Nepgeo forward by the back of her uniform collars.

"You. Repeat it, what you told the cops back there."

"Make me, nerd!" Nepgeo yelled, which quickly became a screech. "Ow ow ow! Not literally!"

"Woah, woah. Who's this girl here? She looks kind of like Planeptune's—"

"Your real name and surname. Say it. Now." Asa squeezed out the words, with as much force as she was currently squeezing Nepgeo's shoulder.

"T-Tommoka!" She screamed. "Tommoka Esaka! There, happy? Can I go now? That old guy's dog is eating my shoelaces!"

Mr. Esaka's jaw dropped.

Even though, on a rational level, Rubis knew that clairvoyance magic didn't work that way, she'd like to think of herself as having gained a six sense after living with Dameko for so many years. For the kind of tranquility that was just begging to be disturbed.

At the count of three, she put her history book down, just in case. Blanc didn't. Which was why she nearly dropped it when heavy footsteps erupted from outside the study, followed by a giant thud.

"Bravo! Ten point for Rammy!"

Dameko's cheer was a signal that something was about to go down, messily. They got up from their chairs in unison and rushed outside, as quickly as they could manage.

"Dameko, what did I tell you about target practice inside the—"

Rubis's first guess was proven wrong when several giant cardboard boxes rushed past her. Boxes arranged into a human shape, kept together by duct tapes and covered in pink glitter.

"Stop telling your robot to run, Rom!" Ram's hat could be seen, poking out of the box on the very top that formed the...construct's head. "It's not a dodgeball fight if only you are dodging stuff!"

The next second, a roll of toilet paper flew out of the cannon on its arms and connected with the blocky silhouette that was poking its torso out of the nearest room. "See? You are making this too easy!"

"No, Rammy. She's merely on the defensive! That's only a five point, 'cause she has her shield up!"

"Whatever, she's still losing without me even trying—"

Rubis made a beeline for the direction where Dameko's commentary was coming from, at the same time Blanc started yelling.

"What the hell do you brats think you are doing?!"

"Super Robot Dodgeball! Hi, big sis!" Ram's cardboard construct turned towards her. "We asked Dameko if she could build us a robot, like B-Sha's—"

"But of course, I'm not allowed to do that!"

"So you made one on your own, without permission?" She could practically hear Blanc's teeth gnashing. "And start fighting in the corridors? With toilet papers?"

"No! She said she could make something that only looked like a robot, with elemental magic—"

"But I'm also not allowed to do that!" Dameko exclaimed, right before Rubis circled behind her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Which is why you used the same 'Animate Construct' spell on regular cardboards, and taught them how to cast it."

"H-Hey, you never know when our juniors would need to make a pile of snow or rocks come to life in their defense! Or giant cardboard robots, for that matter!" Dameko smiled nervously. "It's not my fault that I could only find toilet papers to use as cannonballs, someone seemed to have hidden all the sports equipment in the building, together with my old vuvuzela—"

Rubis casted a barrier over them, faster than she could realize it. The next second, a barrage of toilet paper rolls rained down on them. With a yelp, Ram's robot knelt over. It would have landed right on top of Blanc, if she hadn't already tripped over another roll and tumbled out of the way, before falling flat on her butt.

"Yay! Fifty points for...no, seventy, eighty..." Rom's construct poked its left arm out of the room, which still had a giant cardboard shield attached to it. "Um, I think I used up all my rolls in that one attack. D-Did I win, Miss Dameko?"

"Nooooo!" Ram whined, as she climbed out of the box she was sitting in. "Sneak attack! Not fair! I was talking to big sis!"

"Aha! Catching your opponent off-guard, before unleashing the big hits! Rommy is the true tactician here, and I'm afraid there are no fairness in the prank wars, Rammy. A good prankster must be ever vigilant, after all—" As if proving her point, Dameko slipped away with ease, just when Rubis was about to catch her in a firm headlock. "But no worries, we can always try again on Round Two!"

"Round...Two?" Blanc stood up from the ground, still dusting glitters off her clothes. Then, she burst into a scream, "I'll give you a Round Two, you little shits! YES, ALL THREE OF YOU!"

"Oh no! Run away, Rommy, Rammy!" Dameko was already vanishing down the corridors, as Rom jumped out of her construct and Ram scrambled up from the ground, "Run awaaaaaaay!"

"GET OVER HERE! I DON'T CARE IF YOU ARE MY SENIOR, YOU ARE GONNA GET IT!"

"Eeek! Big sis is winning! She's winning this round!"

"So...fast..."

"Time to split up! Remember my heroic sacrifice, my little pranksters!"

"A BAD ROLE MODEL, THAT'S WHAT YOU ARE—"

After that, Rubis couldn't hear the commotions anymore, despite how loud Blanc's yells were. For a moment, she just stood where she was, staring at the toilet paper rolls that was all over the floor, the two cardboard constructs' immobile forms, and the trail of glitter they left behind. Finally, she shook her head.

"At least it wasn't a steamroller."

She stared at the dusky sky outside the ship cabin window, stared back at the phone screen, stared at the window again, before finally landing her finger on the screen and beginning to dial the numbers.

This was a new phone, so she hadn't blacklisted that number yet, but after she made the call, she probably would. For safety's sake.

To her great disappointment, the call went through, despite the long interval of beeping sounds. Remember, don't give her any reactions. Don't give her any reactions. That's exactly what she wants.

"Why, hello there, my dear friend and ex. Didn't expect you to contact me at this early in the morning, during my jogging session." The voice at the other end was as slick as ever, but not as rage-inducing as before, now that she could spot the most blatant and cheap bait at first glance. "Did they finally let you out of confinement?"

"Uh-huh," she replied, in her most flat, nonchalant voice.

"Man, Lowee's jail really did a number on you, didn't it? You sound like your spirit is completely crushed, and in dire need of some quality support from your best teammate. No worries, for I'll be welcoming you with open arms, once—"

"So, uh, Lowee's CPU wants me to bring a message to you." She cut Elizabeth off. "You and your associates are permanently banned from entering the nation, under Article 6, Section 4 of the Lowiian Constitution."

"Okay. And that's supposed to be a terrible loss for me?" Elizabeth asked, before letting out a small laugh. "What, is she expecting me to protest against this grave injustice? Beg her for forgiveness? Her Kindergarten Land is, frankly, not worth my time, even without her throwing a vindictive tantrum over some kind of imagined insults."

"I told her the same thing. She insisted." It was the thought that counted. Probably.

"Well, whatever. These Console Continent people sure hold a grudge over the most trivial matters," Elizabeth said. "But enough about them. How's life treating you? You have been through a lot, from the looks of it. Practically a changed person now. And I can already feel the character development radiating off you, judging from the lack of death threats and swearing!"

"I guess."

"All thanks to my encouragement, right?"

"What." Darn. That word came out of her mouth, faster than she could rein it in.

"You see, my actions, though ill-received at the time, have clearly made you into a wiser, less impulsive, and overall better person in the end," Elizabeth said, with a sincerity that was almost convincing, "And, although a good friend cannot possibly ask for any kind of material rewards, a small expression of gratitude would be most appreciated. Friendship is a two-way street, after all."

...This bitch was actually expecting her to thank her for screwing her over. Thank her, in the same way you would thank a natural disaster for bringing people together.

Even though there were plenty of alternatives that could achieve similar results, without the sky-high body count.

"Okay. Thanks," she said, after taking a deep breath.

A slightly longer pause. If it did throw Elizabeth off the loops, she wasn't showing any surprise when she started speaking again. "You are welcome! It warms my heart that you are willing to bury the hatchets, and I have more good news for you—"

"Later. Bye." She was making considerable progress in not falling for her baits, but if Elizabeth started making...suggestive statements about Loft, she wasn't sure if she could keep it up. Better to quit while she was ahead.

"Wait! One more question!" Elizabeth yelled, and got the rest of the sentence out before she could terminate the call. "That kid who tried to kill me. Did they ever manage to catch her and find out why?"

"Yeah. She's dead." Which was the true tragedy here. If only Ryll had succeeded in her first murder attempt. "She wanted to kill you because you killed her in another world." She paused. "No, it might be you and Aktivis."

"Wow, then she must've been pretty extraordinary in her evil and depravity. Because I'm not teaming up with Mrs. 'Pessimism, Skepticism and Fear' even if you cuffed me to her."

"Physically, there's only one of you."

"Oh? So one of us is like, morale support?" A chuckle, "Man, can you imagine Aktivis doing that? She'd be a great motivational speaker...for the enemies. With her whole 'life sucks, you suck, we all die some days' outlook on—"

"No." She made a dramatic pause, just for the sake of it. "I mean, you liked her so much, you literally agreed to share your mind and body with her through unknown means."

The first part wasn't exactly implied in Rainbow Aktivis's throwaway comment, but a little exaggeration wouldn't hurt, and would totally be worth it, given their mutual loathing and disdain for each other in this world. Judging from the unnaturally long silence on the other end, it was definitely achieving the intended effect.

"That," When Elizabeth started speaking again, the cheerfulness in her voice had completely drained away, "is the most disgusting thing I've ever heard. And a fat kid once proposed a business plan to me that involved using drug-addicted babies for blood sports."

With a beep, the call ended.

"Well," she muttered to herself, unable to hide the glee in her voice, as she put the phone down, "Someone sure has her priorities straight."

—She opened her eyes and the blue sky came back to her.

Of course, something that big would never go away, but she liked to pretend it did, sometimes, when she wasn't looking. That maybe the particular corner of the sky she was under was sad to see her go, too, and needed some time to itself, before it came running back and caught her in a hug once more.

The wind was blowing her blonde hair into her eyes. She brushed her bangs aside, took a deep breath, and started to run. Past the streets, past the local Chapel of Saint Lisa, past her foster parents' business, all the way up the layers and layers of buildings that piled on each other like one giant shiny cake.

She grabbed onto ledges and jumped and sometimes did a few handstands on people's rooftops and balconies, just because she wanted to.

But eventually, there were no pipes for her to walk across, no tiles for her to hang on, no higher places to go, and she found herself standing on one of those really classic, old-schooled spires that were somehow still around.

She liked them, because their white colors were the same as her clothes. They just didn't fit into the shiny world around it, the shiny office buildings, malls, and big business stuff that Sierra loved so much.

Maybe when she came back from Lowee, Sierra would own one of those buildings. She was smart, just like Lisa (no, E.A.! Geez, she forgot how much her friend hated being called Lisa). People like her were destined for greater things, and Sierra said if she wasn't going to make history, she'd at least be inside the backstory of someone who did.

She had no idea what that meant, but she hoped it was a good thing. Sierra said a lot of weird things and they weren't always nice and could be a little perverted.

As for her, she didn't want to make history. She just wanted to see her friends, all of them, when she stepped off the floating ship several years later. Still smiling like they always did. They'd have grown so much taller and learned so many new things and she would too, and everyone would share their stories, and...

She sniffled a little, but the tears were gone before they could come out, under the warm glow of the sun.

"G-o-o-d-b-y-e!" She yelled, towards the city below, even though her voice was almost entirely drowned out in the wind. "I'll miss you! And I'll come back, don't you worry!"

The sunlight and the wind faded away, replaced by pitch blackness and engine noises. She opened her eyes and she was herself again.

At that realization, the ship cabin seemed to have suddenly grown too small for one person. Clutching the blanket and the bedsheets to her chest, she curled up, and the tears wouldn't stop coming after that.

"Goodbye...to you too," she whispered, in between heavy gasps. "Rest in peace, Brøø. Wherever you are now."

A/N: Just so you know, in South Park Season 15, Episode 5, "Crack Baby Athletic Association", Cartman actually got screwed over by the head of EA Sports.

Activision and EA hated each other in the 80s (and still do, with the IW/Respawn lawsuit and all), according to an interview of Brian Fargo (Interplay's founder, who had worked with both companies back then) in the Stay Awhile and Listen book.

The cardboard constructs are a pretty blatant homage to Nintendo Labo. Also, Nintendo had literally steamrolled bootleg Gameboy cartridges in the Netherlands before, while a guy in Mario costume was standing there, overseeing the whole thing. Just google "Steamroller Mario" for pictures.

So, now that the last few references are out of the way...thank you for reading! Be sure to check out the two appendixes for more gaming history trivia dumps, if you are interested in that. Which, if you managed to read all the way to the epilogue, you probably are.